A rapid exchange-type balloon catheter has a proximal shaft, an intermediate shaft, and a distal shaft. The guide wire opening is positioned at the boundary between the intermediate shaft and the distal shaft, and for example, a reinforcement member is arranged in the vicinity of the guide wire opening in order to prevent a kink which may be caused by a concentration of bending therein (for example, refer to JP-A-2001-95924).
A known reinforcement member has a straight shape and is arranged in a lumen in order to introduce and discharge a balloon dilation fluid. When the diameter of the reinforcement member is widened to increase rigidity thereof, a flow path for the balloon dilation fluid is narrowed, thereby exerting a negative influence on the introducing and discharging of dilation fluid. In particular, the deflation time performance, which is a contraction time of a balloon after dilation, is deteriorated.
On the other hand, if making the reinforcement member to have a tapered shape to suppress the influence on the deflation time performance, a difference in physical properties of the reinforcement member in an axial direction becomes large, and thus, the kink resistance is deteriorated.